1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a structure for protecting a Radio Frequency Remote Head (RRH) in a mobile communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a mobile communication system, a Radio Frequency Remote Head (RRH) is a digital repeater system, and includes an antenna, a Digital-to-Analog (D/A) converter, an up-converter, a duplexer, a down-converter, an Automatic Gain Controller (AGC), and an Analog-to-Digital (A/D) converter. The RRH is commonly installed outside a building. As a result, the RRH should be protected from various surroundings (for example, direct sunlight, rain, wind, thunderbolt, etc.) to prevent a possible error from occurring when the RRH is connected to other structures and to improve the stability and life of the entire RRH.
FIGS. 1A-1C are diagrams showing the conventional RRH protection structures according to the related art.
Referring to FIGS. 1A-1C, to protect RRH(s), a protection cover & integrated fan, a heat sink, and a solar panel are used. The protection cover & integrated fan in FIG. 1A surrounds an exterior of a protection cover of each RRH to protect the RRH from direct sunlight. For example, when a fan is mounted on an upper end of the RRH, a temperature of the RRH may increase from 45° C. to 55° C. The fan is powered by the RRH.
The heat sink in FIG. 1B is designed to be mounted on a surface of the RRH, improving the effect of the existing natural air convection cooling.
The solar panel in FIG. 1C is installed to collect solar energy. The collected solar energy is used as power for various purposes (for example, for lighting, communication, environmental sensing, etc.).
However, when the RRH is protected with the protection cover & integrated fan of FIG. 1A, the internal heat may not be discharged smoothly. If an integrated fan is mounted on an upper end thereof to exhaust the internal air, a fan controller for the integrated fan should be additionally installed, causing the need for separate maintenance. The heat sink of FIG. 1B, provided to improve the effect of the existing natural air convection cooling, improves the natural air convection cooling effect by widening the surface being in contact with the external air, which, however, increases the surface area exposed to the sunlight. Like the solar panel of FIG. 1C, the heat sink of FIG. 1B is continuously exposed to the sunlight during the daytime, increasing the internal temperature of the RRH. The internal temperature of the RRH decreases during the nighttime. In case of rain, connection ports on a lower end of the RRH are directly exposed to the external environment, and if the exposure is repeated for a long time, the connection ports may be rusted or an error may occur in making a connection to other external devices. The periodic and continuous change in the temperature of the RRH and the direct exposure to the external environment increase occurrence of functional errors of the RRH and degrade the durability thereof, causing a reduction in the stability and life of the entre RRH.
Accordingly, an RRH protection structure is needed to protect an RRH for a mobile communication system from various surroundings to prevent a possible error from occurring when it is connected to other structures and to improve the stability and life of the entire RRH.